Syracuse football priority WR target Calvin Russell moves to 5 stars, has decision date

Recruiting service 247Sports updated its 2026 rankings this week, and Syracuse football 2026 priority target Calvin Russell lll, a state champion from Florida and an elite wide receiver in his class, has moved to five stars.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Russell, who was on the Hill last month at the JMA Wireless Dome for the Orange's annual spring game, is now five stars, No. 21 nationwide, No. 3 at wide receiver and No. 2 in talent-rich Florida, according to the latest refresh from 247Sports.

According to reports, this coming weekend, Southeastern Conference member Florida will host Russell on an official visit. In early March, per a post on X from On3 director of recruiting Chad Simmons, Russell said that suitors expected to get official visits from him include Syracuse football, Miami, Florida State, Georgia and Florida.

Syracuse football is heavily in the mix for 2026 five-star wide receiver Calvin Russell lll.

I haven't seen anything publicly reported about an official visit scheduled by Russell to the Orange, although one could be on the books, and we just don't know about it. Per some reports, he plans to make his college decision known on July 5.

Candidly, I assume that the 'Cuse will need to have Russell in Central New York for an official visit for the Orange to ultimately prevail for him. That being said, in recent months, some national analysts have said that Syracuse football has strong buzz for Russell, who speaks highly of the 'Cuse staff, which is led by head coach and ace recruiter Fran Brown.

For what it's worth, when I wrote this article on Wednesday night, I hadn't seen any analyst predictions in Russell's recruitment on the 247Sports Web site, Rivals.com or the On3 Web site.

While I'm not a recruiting analyst, if I had to venture a guess, I'd say that the Orange's biggest threats to winning out for Russell come from in-state suitors Miami and Florida. We'll see.

In the 2024 season, as a junior, Russell helped guide Miami Northwestern Senior High School to the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") 3A state title. Several Syracuse football 2025 three-star signees attended Miami Northwestern, while 'Cuse coaches pursue other prospects from this top-flight prep program.

Currently, the Orange has 16 verbal pledges among players who are heading into their senior seasons of high school. The Syracuse football 2026 class does include a couple of wide receivers and is No. 10 nationally, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.